


Because Love Covers Over a Multitude of Sins

by Wealthywetsunny



Category: Far Cry 5
Genre: Abusive Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Normal Life, Obession, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-05
Updated: 2020-04-05
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:14:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 13,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23030755
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wealthywetsunny/pseuds/Wealthywetsunny
Summary: Rook’s young, far too young to move five states over and raise her niece all alone. Sometimes she can hardly handle the fact that she’s constantly on the run, that her sister’s boyfriend—this child’s father—is literally hunting her down. It’s overwhelming and terrifying to be in uncharted territory. But sometimes life doesn’t give you a choice.She arrives only months before the Project emerges as the torturous cult it is in game, and who other to get cozy with than John Seed?
Relationships: John Seed/Rook
Comments: 43
Kudos: 106





	1. Chance Encounter

Rook’s dead on her feet, she knows this, she’s sure everyone around her knows this, but there’s no food in the house and she’s starved. 

Her eyes skip over boxes of cereal and granola bars, trying—for the sake of her kid—to pick out something not made completely out of sugar. She fails, because Ellie has her puppy eyes down already, and huffs a dejected sigh when she tosses a box of Lucky Charms into the cart.

“Next week we’re getting something else,” she mutters,” and Ellie just giggles, feet swinging from where she’s sat in the cart. She’s four, getting a little big for the small seat that’s offered, but Rook’s tired and she won’t be able to keep up with Ellie today. So she’ll let parents who think they know better stare. She doesn’t flinch when they meet her head on and gaze at her curiously. Thinking that she looks too young to have a four year old. Maybe they’re wondering why her child doesn’t look like her save for her dazzling blue eyes. 

“It’s my birthday.” Ellie smiles at Rook like that’s all the only payment she needs for those Lucky Charms. 

Rook winces, pushes down the guilt and regret that always comes along with Ellie’s birthday as she rounds the corner and heads down the next aisle. “Yes it is, kiddo.” She reaches out to ruffle Ellie’s hair and wonders if she should have more of it at her age. Wonders if she’s doing something wrong, if she’s not growing right or something. 

She shoves that thought down, her mind is frazzled from moving halfway across the country and she can’t function right now.

Rook glances up on the shelves and frowns, maybe she’s more tired than she thinks because they definitely do not own a dog and yet she’s staring down dozens of doggy treats. 

New town. New layout of the grocery story. Right, she knows this. 

“Are we having cake, mommy?” 

Rook snaps her eyes down to Ellie, has to remind herself that it’s the kids birthday before her hands tighten on the cart and she keeps moving. Tries not to get hung up over the fact that she’s not Ellie’s mom, that her sister deserves that title. She shouldn’t be trying to play house, but she doesn’t have much of a choice. 

“We will.” Then after the resounding cheer that draws a few stares, “tonight, after dinner.” 

Ellie nods, time is just a concept of fiction in a child’s head. And it’s only when Rook’s halfway down the dog food aisle when Ellie’s pure excitement apparently can’t be contained anymore. 

She quite literally reaches out to grab at the nearest person and holds him tight. Her grip is _strong,_ too damn strong than any child should be, and when Rook keeps walking she does not let go. 

Rook’s eyes snap up at the offended, surprised noise that comes from whoever Ellie grabbed hold of. Her face goes pale from shock. She’s new and she totally doesn’t need this. 

“It’s my birthday!” 

Rook winces at Ellie’s oblivious tone. Expecting some sort of gruff response. Maybe a subtle jab at how she should control her kid. 

“I-ah...is it now?” 

Rook blinks real slow. Takes in the man who’s now turned towards her. Giving her daughter his full attention. As if he’s not busy, like he isn’t struggling to hold a pound of dog food in his arms. 

“Well happy birthday, darling.”

She’s never seen him before, but that doesn't mean much, they've only been in Hope County for a week. Half of that time was spent indoors, trying to organize the furniture they've accrued over the years. The people Rook has met have been nothing but welcoming, if a bit too curious about her background, and this man is no different when he glances up to cast her a smile.

It’s almost sweet, the way he lingers there in the aisle with her.

“I don’t think we’ve had the pleasure,” the stranger extends his hand and for the first time she notices the tattoos there, sparse as they may be. Though she wouldn't put it past him to have more covered up by his shirt. “John Seed.”

Rook nods, eyes wide. Right. It takes two to have a conversation. She grasps his palm, throat suddenly dry as he diverts all his focus on her. Easing the dog food onto the floor and twisting his wrist with a wince.

“Rook.” 

“Rook?” He tests her name on his tongue and smiles, “are you just passing through? 

“No, no, we just moved her.”

“Ah, so it’s permanent then.” 

Rook pulls her hand away after that, trying and failing to hide her wince. His words hurt more than he knows. She knows she only has herself to blame for that. She’s the one who left out the part that she probably won't be staying for long. That this is the third time she had to relocate. That an obsessive man is following her and making any sort of connections—friend or otherwise—would be selfish when they inevitably faced said man’s wrath. 

Instead she jerks her head in a nod. 

He stares at her with his head tilted, acting as if she’s some kind of puzzle to solve. “Then maybe I’ll see you again.” He reaches out to touch her again, a hand that permeated warmth on her forearm even through her layers of clothes. 

She shrugs, doesn't really count on it. “Sure.” Then she shoves at her cart and shakes out of his grasp just as Ellie begins to squirm--uninterested now--even if John’s brief meeting was so very welcome. 


	2. Settling In

Rook rubs her eyes wearily, scanning through the papers lying on her desk for what feels like the hundredth time. 

Before moving here she didn’t quite look into the schooling system like she should have. Hindsight and all that. There’s two options, and both are far. Too far for her to consider. But really she doesn’t have a choice. Ellie needs to go somewhere. 

“There’s gotta be something else,” she grabs for her computer and types slowly on the keyboard and scans the results. 

There is…another option. With a phone number at the very top of their website. A website which is kind of sketchy if she’s being honest. It’s closer though, that’s for sure, and if she’s reading correctly, it’s a religious school. She’s not adverse to Ellie learning about any sort of religion, but she’s heard horror stories about places like this. Teachers who scare the children with over the top yelling and absurd rules. 

She’ll call in the morning she decides. Find out a little more about...she scans the screen...Eden’s Gate schooling system. 

She closes her laptop and makes a beeline for her bedroom, only to find Ellie standing in her doorway. 

“El, baby, what are you doing up?” 

“Couldn’t sleep.”

Rook nods and hides her wince. She pushes down her guilt like she’s done a thousand times before. If she could she’d take away all of Ellie’s discomfort and answer her endless questions she would in a heartbeat. She’s too young though, so for now she picks Ellie up and lays a kiss on her cheek. Murmuring soft words as she tucks Ellie in next to her. 

*****

“Your daughter’s how old?”

“Four.”

“Ahh, okay, hang on a moment.”

Rook pulls her phone back slightly to wave at Hudson when she walked in. In return Joey holds up a bag of food triumphantly and laughs when Pratt gives a soft cheer. 

“Your daughter, Ellie, will work out fine with the other preschoolers.”

“And she’ll move onto kindergarten when?”

“Six.” 

She doesn’t intend to stay that long, but who knows. 

“Perfect.” Rook’s whole body relaxes, it seems like things are finally working out for once. She doesn’t want to jinx it, but she can’t keep the smile off her face when she hangs up. 

“You look happy,” Hudson pops a bagel on her desk and tosses some cream cheese her way. “Good news?” 

She shrugs, discomfort written all over her face. She never let herself get close to people. It’s too dangerous. Hudson raises an eyebrow and opens her mouth to talk. 

“Rook, Pratt, you’re on duty today.” 

Oh thank God. She nods to Whitehorse and pushes past Hudson, ignoring her confused expression as to why Rook seems so eager to get out. 

“Think you can teach her the ropes, Pratt?” 

Staci nodded, though when he caught her eyes she thought she saw the slightest bit of apprehension. Or is it discontent? She isn't sure, she’s never been good at reading people. 

He leads her out and into a police cruiser, falling comfortably behind the wheel. 

“Honestly there’s not much that goes on here, especially in the morning. Hell of a place you picked.”

She ignores the subtle jab. “So what’re we gonna do all day? Drive around in circles?”

“I’ve done it before.” 

Rook chuckles, letting her head fall back against the seat. This might be a boring place to some, but by god if she doesn’t yearn for boring. She’s had far too much excitement in her life since her sister left and Ellie came along. 

“I’ll just show you around a bit, and if a call comes in,” he shrugs, letting his words trail off. 

She keeps her eyes focused outside the window. Watching the scenery fly by. She hasn’t traveled anywhere outside of Holland Valley, and she’s starting to wonder if the rest of Hope County is just plains.

“What’s north of here?” 

“Whitetail mountains, pretty beautiful during winter. Cold though, and full of wolves so I wouldn’t recommend traipsing out there alone.”

“Can we go?” 

“Did you hear what I just said?”

“You said not to go alone. But you’re here. And we’ve got guns.”

Pratt laughs, rolling his eyes and glancing at her in a way that makes her feel strangely inferior. “I’d like to see you try to take on a wolf with your service pistol. Look, we’ll drive right to the border, okay? That should kill enough time.”

He isn’t wrong about that. It takes nearly an hour to drive through the Valley. It would’ve been awkward had she not fiddled with the radio and found some station that wasn’t country. It’s not that she doesn’t want to talk to him, she does. She can still hold a conversation without divulging any inner more intimate parts of her life. But she feels as if everything she says is being judged. He has that kind of douchey attitude she’d expect from a frat boy.

By the time they reach the edge of Holland Valley she’s itching to get out and stretch her legs, so she ignores Pratt’s laugh as she all but throws herself out of the car. 

“Pretty, right?” He asks, walking up behind her where she stands at the start of a bridge. 

“Yeah, you weren’t kidding about that.” 

She gives the horizon one last scan, they’ve got a long drive back and she can’t afford to pull a later shift—the couple who agreed to watch Ellie are too nice as it is, she shouldn’t be testing her luck. 

She tries to commit the sight to memory, knowing that despite Pratt’s warning she might take Ellie up here, just a car ride through. 

“Ready to head back?”

She gives a slight nod, about to turn on her heel and—

“What’s that?”

Rook points, though she doesn’t think it’s necessary, how can you miss that? 

“Looks like a…” Pratt pauses, eyebrows furrowing. “I’ve got no clue what the hell that is.” 

If she didn’t know any better she might assume that it’s some sort of satellite, or even a radio tower. That’s what it looks like at first glance. A tall, metal pole stretching far up into the sky with a shiny red beacon at the top. 

A red light which is pulsing steadily, maybe sending out some sort of signal. 

“Should we tell the Sheriff?” 

He shrugs, already heading back towards the car. “Tell him what? People build things all the time, especially if it’s their property.”

Rook nods in agreeance and jogs to catch up. Sliding into her seat and keeping her eyes on the strange satellite until it disappears in the distance. 

She just moved here, she shouldn’t be the one to question the locals, but she’s sure her new baby sitters wouldn’t mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> John's going to make an appearance next chapter, I promise


	3. Date

She gets lost on the drive to pick up Ellie. All the roads look the same here. She considers calling Nick, letting him know that she’ll be late and that she might need some directions. With her phone in her hand, close to pulling over and close to calling him, she finally recognizes the large hanger in the distance and she breathes a sigh of relief. 

She hears her daughter’s laughter as she stands outside their door, hand poised and ready to knock. Before she can, the door swings open and she’s met with Ellie at her feet. Hugging her around her legs with.

Rook doesn’t hesitate picking her up, only half paying attention to her excited babbling. 

“I hope she wasn’t too much trouble,” Rook says when Kim comes into view. The woman said she’s pregnant, that watching Ellie would be good practice for them, but she’s far from showing. Right now she still has a beautiful figure that makes Rook jealous. 

“Of course not, she’s an angel. She’s welcome any time.”

“Tomorrow?” Rook asks nervously, breathlessly. Scared that she’s asking for too much. But Kim just smiles, glancing over her shoulder and winding an arm around Nick when he appears beside her. 

“Of course. I gotta head down to the farmers market though, I need some produce. Do you mind if I take her with?” 

“Go for it.” Rook holds Ellie closer when she nods in excitement. Eager hands winding tight around her neck. 

She bids them goodbye and thanks them one last time before turning on her heel and placing Ellie on the ground. 

And she almost runs smack dab into John. 

He blinks rapidly at her, staggering back when he glances up from his phone. 

“Rook, hi.” 

Everyone seems to know everyone here, so really she shouldn’t be surprised that he remembers her. But something foreign flutters in her chest when he smiles at her. His whole face brightening. 

She lets her hand drop for Ellie to hang onto lest she gets impatient, but she seems infatuated with John. Her eyes take in the tattoos covering his elbows and the strange shiny necklace that hangs around his throat. 

“You’re friends with the Ryes?” He drops the sunglasses hanging on his head down to his eyes. “I didn’t know that.” He almost sounds displeased, angry even, that he didn’t know every small detail about what’s happening in the county. 

“I just met them. I needed someone to watch Ellie…”

“Oh. I could’ve.”

“Right. Sorry.” She doesn’t know why she apologizes. There’s no need to. Really it makes perfect sense for her to not trust a stranger with her daughter. And yet something inside her twists uncomfortably at seeing him upset.

It might be fear, but he’s talking again before she can hold onto it. 

“You’re friends with them?” She steps forward and places a tentative hand on his arm to grab his attention. 

“I am. Nick and I both fly.”

“Fly?” Ellie perks up now. Eyes alight with joy. 

“Yes, my love. I have a plane.” 

“A plane, mommy? Can we see it?” 

“Ellie—“

“I think that’s a grand idea. How about tomorrow? This time, right after you get off of work.”

She hesitates, it’s not her thing, planting down ties. Though when she looks up and sees him waiting for her answer, so expectant, she says yes.

He throws her a wink and smiles, “then it’s a date.” 

“I wouldn’t say—“

“It’s a date.” He confirms, then he’s walking away, a sway to his hips as he does so. 

“Hell, what did I get myself into?”

“Swear,” Ellie mumbles instinctively, hopping from one rock to the next as they make their way to the car. Blissfully unaware of Rook’s inner panic of who this strange man is and why he seems to have taken such an interest in her. 

*****

“There you are.” John’s smiling when she steps out of her car. Hands clasped behind him with a little tip of his head. 

“Sorry, work was…” she waves her hand, hoping she doesn’t need to explain.

Thankfully he just laughs, stepping closer to hold out his hand to Ellie when she clambers out of her car—because she insisted (she’s a big girl now). Ellie giggles when John does a curtsy. Rook’s lips twitch and she’s eager to say something, but she knows it’s just her bitterness seeping through. Her want for someone to help with this whole child rearing thing. 

“Plane?” Ellie asks expectantly, eyes bright and already flickering around his home. 

“It’s in the hanger, darling, come, I’ll show you.” 

He holds out his hand to Rook and she hesitates just a tad, fingers curling. 

“I don’t bite, c’mon.” 

Her cheeks burn red when he laughs. With a sigh she grasps his hand and shudders when he squeezes. 

Ellie’s on her other side, grasping onto her coat and humming the song they listened to on the way here. 

And Rook, despite John talking, pays more attention to the people in the distance. They’re on his lawn, crowded near a bus that could fit a couple dozen people. It’s dirty, mud clinging to the tires, and the windshield is foggy. The paint on the side is flaking away, and she bet if she checked inside it’d be even worse. 

She distantly recognizes his trail of words stop as he follows her gaze. He clears his throat but she doesn’t avert her gaze. 

“That bus looks like it’s traveled across the country.” It’s meant to be a joke, but John’s lips turn into a thin, tense line. 

She shrinks back from him, though that’s nearly impossible when he’s still holding her hand. He seems to realize what kind of look he’s giving her because he glances away and shakes his head. 

Rook wants to apologize, but she doesn’t exactly know what she’s done wrong. So she keeps her head down to let him know that she’s no longer looking, that he doesn’t have to be as mad as he is. She keeps on like that until they round the corner of his house and comes to what she would’ve originally guessed is a garage. 

He squeezes her hand again, harder this time, digging his nails in. “Ready?” 

“Sure, John.” 

She puts a hand on Ellie’s shoulder, holding her in place when he pulls something from his pocket and clicks a button, making the door slide up. It tucks under the same way a garage door would, but inside…

It must show on her face how impressed she is by his laugh. He bounces on his feet and he leans into her side, too close really, but he’s gone and walking inside before she can tell him off about it. 

There’s only one plane inside, brand new by the looks of it. It’s sleek and silver, with blue trimming that makes her ooh and ahh despite not knowing the first thing about planes. 

“Pretty, isn’t it, Ellie?” Rook prompts, only to have her daughter squeal. She jumps up and down where she stands. 

“Can I sit in it?!” 

She’s staring at Rook hopefully, hands clasped under her chin in such a sweet pose. Rook’s eyes dart to John, and he only smiles wide. All traces of that anger gone. 

“Come on,” John holds out his hand for Ellie, pulling her along towards the hulking machine. “Sit with me, I’ll show you the controls.” 

He makes a sweet picture with his daughter. Helping her climb onto the wing of the plane and sitting her down on his lap in the front seat. Ellie marvels at what she sees. Eyes skipping wildly over everything as John speaks softly to her. Explaining things Rook’s almost sure Ellie doesn’t understand. But it’s making John happy, so she lets him continue until the sun makes the shadows shift. 

Rook’s about to let him know they should be on their way, that she’s got a mountain of paperwork, when someone else beats her to it. 

“Sir?” The man who intrudes on them looks skittish. Nervously glancing between Rook and where John’s still sat in his plane. Helping Ellie put on his pilot's cap. 

“What?” John frowns, annoyance peaking through. 

“Package for you, sir, at your front door.” 

That makes John lit up despite the vaguery. His lips curl into something almost feral before he gives a quick nod of his head. “Thank you, Theo.” 

“Of course, sir.” Then he’s gone. Strolling off and out of sight. When she looks back at John he’s climbing out, letting Ellie reach out towards him as she precariously stands on the wing.

Rook’s heart jumps up in her throat and she’s about to rush forward. But John’s quick, and he opens his arms for Ellie and tucks her close to his side. Again Rook’s heart goes all wonky as he hands her off. 

“Suppose you want us to leave now?” It’s posed as a question, but it’s not really meant for him to answer, so she turns on his heels before he has a chance to answer. 

It’s when she’s halfway down his driveway that she hears something in the distance. It’s loud and overbearing, and it takes her a moment of staring up at the sky until she realizes that it’s a plane. A whole fleet of them actually. 

They’re white, black markings on their wings that she can’t see from so far away. They pass as quickly as they came. Nick gives flight lessons, John’s got his own air strip, planes can’t be strange in this county to own. 

But as they pass directly overhead, she catches sight of something under their slim bodies. They’re black and cylindrical—like a revolver. 

_Guns._

“Rook.” 

She flinches at John’s voice. He’s smiling at her, but his eyes don’t hold any amusement. 

“Once again I’m sorry for cutting this short, but I have some things to attend to. I’m sure you understand.” She nods, but he’s already talking again. “Here, I’ll walk you and your daughter out.” 

Rook’s quiet the whole walk to her car. She’s slightly ahead of John, making her steps larger on purpose. The entire time she feels a heavy pair of eyes between her shoulders blade that makes her sweat. Though whenever she glances behind her, he smiles. 

It’s stupid to be scared of him, a man who’s been so damn nice to her. But she can’t shake the feeling that he’s a loose canon, that maybe when he was younger he was more apt to lose his temper. That really it wouldn’t be hard for him to revert back to that way again. 

She squints at him curiously after she slips behind the wheel. He’s got his hands on the ledge of her window, and he waves to Ellie in the backseat before refocusing on her. 

“Perhaps I can make this up to you? Another date, if you wouldn’t mind?”

Rook’s stomach drops, but she’s never been one with the back bone. That’s why she’s been running from her sister boyfriend for years now, because she can’t face up to any sort of problem that comes her way. So she swallows her indecision and nods, trying to ignore the fear in her body when he smiles. 


	4. School’s In Session

“I’m scared.” 

Rook’s heart clenches pathetically at her daughter’s tiny voice. She’s got a death drip on Rook’s hand, squeezing hard enough to make her bones grind together. 

“I’ll walk with you, c’mon.” But Ellie stays rooted to the spot, eyes wide and glistening with tears in an instant. 

“I don’t know those people.” Her lip wobbles and a tear finally falls. 

She kneels immediately, hands grasping at her tiny shoulders. “Ellie, baby, don’t cry.” She swipes her thumb across her cheek. “C’mere.” Ellie doesn’t resist when Rook pulls her in for a bear hug. She wraps her arms around her neck and buries her head in the crook of her neck. 

“Don’t leave, mommy.” 

Rook doesn’t know what she’s meant to do. She doesn’t have a partner beside her to put in their two cents, she doesn’t have a second child to do what siblings do best and calm Ellie down better than parents sometimes can. 

“Is she alright?”

Rook’s head snaps up, squinting against the sun where she can just barely make out the silhouette of a man. She stands quickly, aware of the picture they make. She keeps Ellie snug in her arms as she does so. 

He’s taller than she is by at least a foot. With a messily trimmed beard and hair that’s tied up behind him. He’s got sunglasses on to combat the Montana summer. They’re yellow and bright, but do little to hide the deep blues of his eyes. 

She does a quick sweep of his clothes and figures he must be in charge. She suddenly feels underdressed standing next to him in her jeans and ratty grey t-shirt when he’s donning an embroidered suit jacket and slacks. 

“She’s...nervous. Never been to any sort of school.”

There’s such sympathy that leaks from him in a single look that it makes goosebumps rise on her skin. He reaches out a hesitant hand and touches Ellie’s back. “Hello there, child. It’s nice to meet you.” His voice is a soft, gentle thing that makes her relax before she even knows what she’s doing. 

Ellie doesn’t budge though, if anything she tries to burrow further into Rook. 

“If you’d like you can stay and join us,” he offers, “just to calm her down. Once she sees how much fun we plan on having today, perhaps she’ll come out of her shell.” 

“Yeah,” she bounces Ellie, tries to get her to unfurl to no avail. “If that’d be okay with whoever’s running this.” She gives him another sweep of her eyes and wonders if that was a stupid question. 

He smiles though, unfazed, head tipping in a show of humility as he speaks. “That’d be me.” He sticks out his hand and she takes note of the scratches and calluses that mar them. “Joseph.” 

“Rook.” She manages to shake his hand, keeping Ellie firmly on her hip. “And this is Ellie.” 

“Well then, Rook, Ellie, follow me.”

The small building in which he leads her into is teeming with children ranging in age. There’s no other parents inside but herself, though she does take notice of a short woman wearing a pretty, white dress standing at the very front of the room, extra help, Rook guesses. 

Joseph notices her staring and places a hand on the small of her back to draw her attention. “That’d be Faith, my sister.”

“Sister, huh? This school’s a family run thing then?”

He doesn’t hesitate. “Yes, I wouldn’t trust anyone besides my siblings to carry out their duties.” 

Weird way to say such a thing...but Rook nods anyway. Taking the time to glance around the room. From the outside it didn’t initially look like much, she’d hardly call it a church. On the inside though, she’s getting Christian vibes hard. 

“It’s still a work in progress, something we just began a little over a few months ago. It’s suitable though, for the teaching we plan on carrying out.”

She nods again, realizing that this is a sales pitch. Which seems silly considering that in this county her options are scarce. 

“Ellie, darling?” 

“Yes?” Her voice is muffled, just a tiny squeak. 

“Can I put you down?” 

There’s a grumble of protest, but eventually she relents. 

Once her feet are planted firmly on the wood Ellie’s head swivels around the same Rook’s did. She takes in the stained glass and the pews and her little buttons nose wrinkles.

“Doesn’t look like a school.”

Rook blanches at her daughter's words. She’s right, of course, but Joseph’s standing off to her left and this isn’t how she wanted first impressions to go down. 

Rook tries to laugh it off. “How would you know, little lady? You’ve never been in a school.”

Ellie just shrugs, argument averted then. Which makes Rook sigh with relief. 

“You wanna meet the other kids?” Rook asks, a hand coming down to ruffle her hair. She expects Ellie to bat her hands away with a giggle like she normally does, but her daughter is strangely quiet. 

“I wanna go back to Ohio.” 

She sees out of her periphery Joseph look at her, eyes shining with piqued interest. 

“Well...we’re here now. We can’t go back.” 

Ellie pouts before slowly walking off. The epitome of timid as she merges with the rest of the group. 

“You moved here from Ohio?” Joseph steps near to her. “Why Montana?”

“Why not Montana?” Rook averts her eyes a little too quickly to play casual. And she knows Joseph knows it. He hums softly. Rocking on his heels. 

She bows her head, twisting her fingers. It’s a nervous habit she should have gotten rid of ages ago, it gives away too much. It was the sole reason why she had to leave Maryland when Ellie was still an infant. She didn’t hide her emotions well enough and people are nosy. 

“You don’t need to tell me why.” Joseph says suddenly, in that same sincere manner he had outside. It makes Rook’s head snap up. “I don’t want to pry. But if you’re ever in need of an ear, feel free to come find me. I’m located East from here, on a small island where the rest of my flock reside.” He pats her shoulder, rubbing the muscles soothingly before walking off to start teaching. 

Rook collapses in a pew at the very back. Trying hard to fight off the tears she feels threatening to run down her cheeks. It’s been a while since he’s found them, since they’ve had any sort of face to face confrontation. But it didn’t end well, she was sore for weeks after. With bruises and scratches. He even left her a scar on her thigh to remember him by. 

The mere thought of all the times they were forced to move makes her sick. She can’t let him find them. 

“Rook?” 

Her head snaps up and her hands stop tangling within each other. 

“J-John?” 

“I didn’t expect to see you here.” His voice is quiet, hushed only in respect to Joseph who is speaking very animatedly at the front. He slides in the pew with her, a sly smile on his face. It’s only when he gets closer, thigh pressed snugly against hers, that he frowns. 

“Are you alright?” He reaches out to brush her cheek, and it’s only then that she realizes that she’s crying. 

“Fine.” 

“You’re not. Don’t lie to me.” It’s without thought that he winds an arm around her and pulls her flush to her chest. 

Immediately her eyes jump up to find Ellie, who’s more immersed in the class than Rook had ever hoped. She doesn’t need to see this, her mother this near to another man. That’d bring up the possibility of a father, and that’s a conversion Rook can’t revisit right now. 

“Rook...I want to help you. Tell me why you’re crying.”

She narrows her eyes. “Tell me why you’re here first. Then I’ll give you any answer you want.” 

It’s a reasonable trade. It’s starting to get weird now, how they’re meeting everywhere. Like he’s keeping tabs on her. Or maybe she’s being paranoid, after all, the last time she was in any kind of relationship was before Ellie came. Then he set one eye on the responsibility she now had and he jumped ship. 

It’s been her and Ellie ever since. So she tells herself that’s why she’s not so averse to John’s touch when he pulls her in tighter.

“Why am I here?” He repeats, “easy. My brother likes it when I take an interest in what he’s doing with the locals. He has his finger on the pulse so to speak, and he believes that one day it’ll come in handy, to have so many people on our side.”

She blinks at him, but really she only hears one thing. “Your brother?”

“Joseph.”

“That’s your—“ 

_ Family run. Wouldn’t trust anyone but my siblings.  _

“I see the resemblance.”

He laughs softly, “now your turn, my dear.” 

“I’m scared.” She winces when she says it. It’s something she’s never said aloud before, and now admitting it, to someone who looks so open—

“I don’t know what I’m doing half the time with Ellie, if I’m doing good by her. That scares me.” 

He shifts, his other hand falling down to rest on her thigh. “If it makes you feel any better, you’re a thousand times better than either set of parents I had. Combined.”

She raises an eyebrow weakly at him. 

“I was adopted. And if I had someone as devoted as you behind me—well I might’ve been able to take over the whole world.”

Rook laughs now, pain momentarily forgotten. “That right?”

He hums, the hand on her thigh squeezing tight before he looks away, and pulls back completely like he had been scalded. He shakes his hands, wringing them out. 

She realizes why when she follows his gaze and finds Joseph stealing glances at them. Her breath gets caught in her throat. She’s in a damn church, letting John put his hands all over her. 

“Sorry, I—“

“It’s fine. Joseph’s...he just...watches me closely. Afraid I’ll screw up.” John shrugs like it’s nothing. But Rook prides herself on reading people, even a person as mysterious as John. And she’s almost positive that he’s not showing all his cards, and it dawns on her right then that she doesn’t know what he does. Why he’s got a plane and a big fancy ranch. Why he has dirty men and women on his front law calling him ‘sir.’ 

Call her stupid and naive, having a little crush on the first man not to raise a fist at her in so long, but she  _ likes  _ John. So she doesn’t mind at all questioning him on what he does.

“It took you long enough,” he mumbles, and she doesn’t find any humor in his voice. He almost seems...angry? 

“I’m a lawyer.”

“Ah.”

“That’s all you’ve got to say?”

She shrugs, eyes straying back up to the front where it seems like Joseph is wrapping things up. 

“Just makes sense I suppose.” 

He’s pouting at her now, tipping his head. Before he can respond though, because she knows he’s about to, Ellie’s flinging herself into Rook’s lap. 

“Mommy! Mommy!” 

Ellie’s hand finds purchase on Rook’s shoulder. She’s practically bouncing, a smile lighting up her face. 

Then she shifts her attention and sees John. The man who Rook’s positive Ellie only likes for—as he daughter told her when Rook put her down to sleep last night—the pictures on his arms and his pretty plane.

“John!” Ellie grabs a hold of John’s shirt sleeve with a giddy laugh. “Father Joseph said that you’re his brother.”

Rook’s lips quirk up when John smiles at her daughter. 

“He is, darling.”

“I’ve always wanted a sibling.” Ellie says gently, leaning in close like it’s some sort of secret and not some constant subject that Ellie has brought up times before. 

John purses his lips and rises with a slight flourish just as the woman she saw earlier, Faith if she remembers correctly, opens the church doors wide to give the children fresh air.

“Siblings aren’t as grand as they seem, Ellie.” He tells her very seriously, holding out his hand for her to grab onto. Which she does, she doesn’t hesitate, and that makes Rook’s heart clench pitifully. 

_ She deserves so much better than I can give.  _

“I have three of them. Faith is my sister. And I’ve got another brother.”

“Three! That’s not fair.” 

Rook trails behind them. Standing at the threshold of the door for a moment longer as they walk off ahead. She hears the last threads of their conversation as she basks in the sunlight. 

“How was it?”

Rook jumps, hand coming up to clutch her heart. There’s a soft yelp that falls from her lips, nothing but fear in her eyes when she turns on her heels, expecting to find—

“Joseph. It’s you.” 

He’s staring at her, hand half outstretched, intending to touch her. He pauses though, lips slightly parted. 

“I didn’t mean to scare you, Rook.” 

“No, no it’s fine.” She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear and crosses her arms. Instinctively she sets her gaze across the lawn to find Ellie. She’s safe, standing in front of a crouched John, who's talking with wide gesticulations. 

“Rook…” his frowns, hand dropping to his side. “I wanted to talk to you before you left.”

“Yeah, yeah go ahead. We’re in no rush.” 

He hesitates just briefly before gathering courage and staring at her head on. “I véloce you’re special, Rook. I think you’ve been brought here by God.”

She laughs, it’s not something meant to wound him, to poke fun of his religion. He knows that, and so much worse has been done to him, so he takes it in stride. 

“I’m sorry to disappoint, Joseph, but I’ve been on the move for years now. I don’t think I’ll be here for long.”

He smiles at her, accepting her words, not arguing, but she can tell he doesn’t exactly agree. “Well, I’ll be sad to see you go, for I know that you belong here.”

Rook shifts, uncomfortable. It’s been years since she felt important or cared for. Now this stranger is standing in front of her trying to convince her of that. 

She swallows thickly, looking back over to Ellie. Her brows scrunch down when she sees John pause in whatever he had been saying to fish his phone out of his pocket and stand. 

Joseph sees her staring and sighs. “He’s a busy man, my brother. He got lucky with finding you and Ellie.” 

Her head snaps back around. “Wha—?” 

“He’s been more lively, more dedicated to this project.”

She glances over his shoulder to this church and her mind strays to what he told her before. The second church on his own little island full of his devoted worshipers.  _ Their project.  _

“You’ve changed him more than I’ve been able to.” 

She shrugs, “I don’t know about that.”

“I do,” Joseph steps closer and grabs her hand. He brings it up and kisses it gently. “It was nice meeting you, Rook. It’s an honor to teach your child.”

Rook’s at a loss for words, unable to say anything as Joseph walks off. Passing by John who he claps on the shoulder. John stops him though, grabs hold of his elbow and draws Joseph in. 

She wants to watch the spectacle they make, curious and nosy, but Ellie’s at her feet now and asking if they can go home. 

“Of course, baby. C’mon.” 

Rook’s hands are sweaty on the steering wheel. Her mind is spinning something fierce. She  _ likes  _ John. It’s weird to think that, to imagine him as anything more than a confidant and trusted friend. But he’s handsome and he’s not...he’s not the man who’s hunting her down. Even if John’s family dynamic doesn’t make sense to her, if things are a little tense with him and his siblings. She can understand.

She had a sister of her own. One who she’d pick fights with and want to throw to the ground sometimes. 

Rook gets it. 

She might not understand the planes she saw flying above John’s ranch and the fancy clothes he wears that don’t even come close to the casual Joseph had going on, but it’s okay. She’s safe right now. And according to Joseph, apparently she’s meant to be here. So maybe things will work out this time. 


	5. Dinner

John becomes a permanent fixture in her life before she realizes what she’s doing. He stops by the station to bring her lunch on the days when his work doesn't run too long, he’s there to talk to during the late nights when she feels like it’s all too much, he’s someone she can confide in. And suddenly he makes her feel like Hope County is home. 

She hadn’t meant to plant roots here, it would be less painful when she has to pack up and leave again; she can’t help but say yes to John.

Her first yes is when she agrees to dinner—a second date as he said. Her and his family. She would question it, ask why he’s adamant she dine with his siblings, but she sees the pride and adoration that shines in his eyes when he speaks about them. 

He even said she should bring her daughter along, in fact he expected it. Which was enough of a change in how men usually react that she brightens at the realization that this might be for real. This time her and Ellie have gotten away. They’re safe. 

She scouts through her closet to find anything that would make a good first impression, even if John swore up and down that his Joseph is already smitten with her and that Jacob isn’t too hard to please so long as John is happy himself. When she asks about his sister though, John just shrugs. Not quite meeting her gaze. 

She wears a pretty green dress that matches a bow she uses to tie up her hair. If she had blue, she’d wear it. Only because it’s John’s favorite color. 

It’s the best she’s felt in a while, and Ellie shouldn’t be left out, so Rook hands her a white dress with flowers and lace and watches with a mother’s pride as she dresses herself. 

They arrive at John’s ranch ten minutes late, though John’s nothing but smiles when she knocks on the door. When he draws her in for a hug she inhales the scent of his cologne and nearly swoons. 

He notices, because of course he does, and he laughs. He tosses her a wink and says “it’s for you, darling, don’t make any mistake about that.” 

Then his attention flits down to Ellie, whose peering past him to see into the large expanse of his house. Mouth agape, and she can’t blame her, it’s as beautiful as the outside. Though maybe she should’ve guessed that when she walked into his hanger a week before. 

“Come in, come in, Jacob’s almost done with dinner.”

“And Jacob is…”

“The oldest.”

Rook smiles hesitantly, afraid she’s shown him she hasn’t listened when he last spoke of his family. Quick to prove herself she clears her throat to grab his attention. “And Joseph’s the middle?”

“Yes, and I’m the baby.”

Rook hums, her smile faltering. She knows she shouldn’t pry just yet, even if she and John are close to a relationship, but she notices how John speaks of Faith. That he doesn’t seem close to her like he is with his brothers. Because she’s seen Faith, every time she drops Ellie off at school, and that woman has to be younger than John. She's the baby. But she doesn’t mention it. 

Instead she steps further inside and she lets herself blatantly stare at his home. _More like a ranch._

“Do all your siblings live here? It’s big enough…” Her voice drops slightly, eyes crinkling when he nods. “So it’s you, your brothers…and your sister.” She lets her words hang, shoulders slumping. It’s rude to feel envious of him like she is, to hate him just a little right now simply because she doesn’t want to imagine him with a perfect house and a whole family. 

Her sister’s gone. Disappeared after handing off Ellie—she said she’d be back. Then she wasn’t. Something painful twists inside her chest at the memory. It’s hard to forget the moment when it finally became real, that this is her life now. Caring for her niece who thinks she’s her mother. 

Rook tries to compose herself when John asks if she’s alright. He’s smarter than she gives him credit for. 

“Fine...lets just—“ she gestured vaguely, and he gets the point. Smile tight as he turns on his heel and leads her to his kitchen. 

“Jacob!” 

John claps his brother on the shoulder, a man who doesn’t look a thing like hair bothers. Until he turns around from where he’s facing the stove and Rook catches sight of his baby blue eyes. So alike John that it makes her heart stutter. He’s taller and broader—borderline scary. 

But then he smiles and she relaxes. 

“So this is her?” He’s talking to John, gesturing in her direction. “The woman who’s stolen your heart?”

John’s nostrils flare, cheeks turning red. “Jacob—“

“Kidding.” But from the way he’s smirking, he’s not joking. 

The banter makes her smile. Her first real smile of the night she thinks. 

“It’s nice to meet you, Rook.” Jacob doesn’t offer his hand, and she doesn’t push the matter. She just ducks her head and smiles. Then his eyes flick behind her and she watches his brows crinkle. 

“Mommy?” 

She glances over her shoulder and sees Ellie, head tipped to the side with Joseph holding onto one of her tiny hands. 

“El, babe.” She meets Joseph’s eyes and winces. “I hope she wasn’t poking around somewhere she shouldn’t.” She extends her hand and lets Ellie come running at her. 

Joseph shrugs. “We have nothing to hide. Though she was in my study…” he waves Rook away when she goes to protest. “She’s an angel, Rook. You got lucky with her.” 

Ellie laughs, bright eyes gazing up at Rook for any kind of reaction. It’s downright adorable, and Rook can’t help but scooping her up and laying a kiss to her forehead.

“Yeah?” She cooed softly, “are you an angel now?” 

Ellie nodded dramatically, clutching tight to Rook’s shirt. “I am.”

From behind her she hears John laugh. It’s a rich, deep sound. She turns to him, and he stops, like he’s been caught doing something he shouldn’t have. He bites down on his lip and looks away, clearing his throat. There’s a strange awkward tension that she can’t explain before Jacob speaks up. 

“C’mon, let's sit down. I’ll put everything down.” 

The food Jacob’s prepared smells _amazing._ It’s all steaming, creating clouds of smoke that Ellie reaches out to disturb. 

She spots a steak and mashed potatoes, green beans and yams, some sort of salad and a stew that’s a dark reddish color. It’s...a lot. But then again she’s used to just cooking for her and Ellie.

“Kid ain’t picky, is she?” Jacob’s dolling out silverware, staring at her from across the table as he sets down the last knives and forks.

“She’ll eat just about anything.”

Rook side eyes Ellie and realizes that they’ve got nothing to worry about. She’s sitting on her thighs to reach to table properly, already holding a fork and knife in her hand—

“Give me that.” Rook snatches the knife from her hand and watches Ellie’s face fall. 

“But mommy—“

“No.”

“But I’ll be careful.” 

Rook pauses, breathing out carefully. She’s aware that they’re all watching her. Probably scrutinizing the way she’s trying to discipline her daughter like everyone does. 

“I said no, Ellie.” 

Jacob carefully slides into his seat, straight across from her. He swallows carefully, eyes flickering between them. 

“Sorry,” he says, “I shouldn’t have,” he gestures vaguely to the situation going on. Which, admittedly, is his fault. But she’s not about to say that. Not when John’s sitting right next to Ellie and is leaning forward to watch her. 

“It’s fine.”

“Mommy. How am I gonna cut without a knife?”

“Just exactly what are you planning on cutting?” 

Ellie stares at her. Blinking slowly as she purses her lips. She runs her gaze along the table before saying “that,” with her form she points to the steak. 

“You like steak?”

“Maybe.”

It’s a challenge, Rook can see that. Ellie’s only four though, so right now Rook can only laugh. She knows that when Ellie grows up, when she’s a teenager, there’s going to be problems. Right now though, she laughs before she can cry. 

“We’ll see, El. Let’s just eat before it gets cold.” 

That sets them into motion. Has the room silent for a few moments as everyone spoons food onto their plates. Rook puts food on Ellie’s plate when she points at it, declaring that she wants to try it. Rook’s doubtful that she’ll like it, and Rook already has a feeling that she’s going to have to give her a plate of frozen chicken tenders. 

After everything settles Rook glances around and spies the empty seat beside Jacob. 

“Where’s your sister?” 

Joseph’s the one that answers when a strange hush falls over them. 

“She has business East of here. She’s working to get a job helping at a local greenhouse—a conservatory more like it.”

“I thought she has a job, with you. Teaching.”

Joseph smiles, “she does, but I can’t stop her from spreading her wings, so to speak. She likes flowers, plants. Making things with her own hands and watching it grow.”

Rook gets that. She’s tried doing things like that before. Back in Ohio and Vermont, when she wanted to grow vegetables or take up painting or woodwork. That never panned out, he always found them too soon, as relentless as he is. 

“Rook, if you don’t mind me asking,” Joseph begins, “is there anything we can do to keep you here?”

She sees John stiffen, with Ellie sitting flat on her butt and scarfing down food, it’s easy to see him. 

“No, no I can’t even control that. Much less some stranger.”

Joseph—as kind and concealed as he is—seems utterly offended. She focuses back on her food, her cheeks burning. 

It’s quiet like that for too long. Nothing but scraping forks. She’s trying to think of something to say, to restart their conversation, but nothing comes to mind. 

Eventually things start back up, but it’s mindless chatter. And soon she’s no longer participating, just barely listening to what they’re all saying to each other. Asking about work and projects they’re getting up to. 

She just wants to go home. To sleep. And maybe think of some way to tell Joseph in the kindest way possible to never again bring up staying here. To not talk of her past. It’s only bad memories. 

Rook doesn’t even realize she’s spent the rest of dinner not saying anything until plates are being pulled away, food swept into the trash and dishes put in the sink. 

“I’ve got those Jacob,” Joseph nudges his older brother out of the way and turns on the tap, scrubbing a little too hard at the plates. She can’t help but feel as if that’s for something to do with her. 

Besides her, Ellie yawns. Leaning back against the chair. 

“Tired?”

Ellie doesn’t need to answer, her eyes are drooping and she knows that’s her out. 

John’s still staring at her, she’s felt his eyes on her for most of the night. Now is no different.

“Could I walk you out?”

Could she say no to him? Honestly she doesn’t think so, not so far in. 

“Yes.”

He loops his hand around her waist and pulls her in, glancing down at a sleeping Ellie in her arms. 

“I’m sorry about Joseph. He’s enigmatic, I suppose.”

Rook doesn’t answer him. She walks the rest of the way to her car and slowly buckles Ellie into her car seat. 

“Rook. Please look at me.”

She sighs, but acqueises. “Yes, John?” 

“I’m sorry.” He steps in closer and touches her waist. He grabs the material of her shirt and tugs, making her fall into his chest. “I like you, and I wanted this to go well. Joseph doesn’t have the right to pry.”

“It’s fine.”

“It’s not. He upset you, and I don’t want you running off just because he makes you uncomfortable.” 

Rook looks up, stares into his eyes and cups his cheek. He seems to take that as a sign, because he bends down and kisses her. And it’s—it’s magical. He’s great at it. Nipping at her bottom lip and tangling his tongue with her.

“I love you, Rook.” 

She laughs. Leans against his chest and she laughs. He smells wonderful and it’s so warm when he wraps his arms around her. She isn’t used to this, to a man’s touch. It’s intoxicating. And for the first time since she began hopping from place to place to her away from her sister's boyfriend, she considers staying. 


	6. Things Are Changing

_ Dear John,  _

_ I guess I’m just angry that I hadn’t noticed this all sooner. I’m a cop, catching the bad guy is what I’m paid to do. I didn’t see you though. I should’ve, we’ve been dating for weeks. We’ve kissed half a dozen times, I almost slept with you before Ellie woke up with a nightmare. Thank God for that. I can hardly live with myself for what we’ve done together, I think I’d off myself if I fucked someone like you.  _

_ You made me love you, John. Some parts of me still love you.  _

_ Now they’re saying terrible things about you. _

_ Things that are true. I see that. You guys aren’t trying to hide it anymore. And I’d love to talk to you, not in person of course, I’d call. But somehow you cut the lines. The radio tower is broken or...I don’t know. Phone calls aren’t going through in any case. So I’m forced to write to you, not because you deserve an explanation, but because you have to stop trying to see me.  _

_ You come by my house, the sheriff's department, my friend’s house. All to find me. You’re scaring me John. I don’t know if you’re responsible for the people being thrown into cages or if you’re the one who made sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, seemingly disappear overnight.  _

_ I don’t know how you were able to act so normal knowing what you and your siblings were planning. I don’t want to know either.  _

_ I’m not leaving, I’m going to stop you. You and your family are going to see the rest of your lives behind bars.  _

_ With much love,   
_ _ Rook  _

*****

“Get the fuck out of my way Faith.”

Faith, standing in front of the church doors with a panicked look about her, does not move out of her way. 

“You can’t go in there.”

“My daughter is in there.”

Faith tips her head, lips closing in a thin line. “School isn’t over yet.” 

Rook narrows her eyes and dares to take a step forward. Faith doesn’t waver though, even with how young she must be, she stands tall. 

“I’m aware it’s not over. But she’s my daughter. And I’m taking her home.”

Faith backs up and places her hand over the handle with a firm shake of her head. “They’re busy with the Father.”

_ The Father.  _ Joseph Seed. That’s how she knew him. That’s what he was before he lost his mind. Or maybe he never had it in the first place, maybe he was good at hiding things. 

Rook tries to listen close to the voices floating outside, she hears Joseph, the deep baritone that could only come from him.

“What are they doing, Faith?”

“They’re practicing.”

Her stomach drops. She doubts they’re putting on a play or starting a choir. 

“For what?”

“It’s a drill.” Faith stares at her like Rook should know what the means. And for a second, Rook calms. She remembers the kind of drills she had to do when she was a kid. The kind where you locked the door and sat in a dark corner because more and more it seemed like there’d be a chance that someone with a gun was plowing through the halls. It makes sense, considering the amount of people with guns here. 

Then she snaps out of it and realizes that Eden’s Gate is a doomsday cult. 

“What kind of drill?”

“For the Collapse.”

Her breath catches, hands curling at her side. She knows what that is, you can’t step outside your home without hearing about the Collapse. 

“Step aside, Faith.”

“I can’t allow you to—“

Rook knows she’ll get an earful from the sheriff next morning, but her rage reaches its peak and she grabs Faith’s shoulders and throws her to the ground. 

Then Rook is stomping down the middle of the pews and yelling out Joseph’s name. She fully intends to punch Joseph, to stop him from filling her daughter’s head with lies, but Ellie stops her. 

“Mommy!” 

She does what she always does and comes flying forward from behind Joseph where a gaggle of kids sit and wraps her arms around her legs. Clinging to Rook desperately. 

She doesn’t look hurt, but she looks frightened. Bile rises in her throat from the way her baby girl looks up at her. And the man in front of her is responsible for it. She should shoot him right here, but she has thirty pairs of eyes staring at her with varying degrees of shock. 

“Rook, please leave.”

She doesn’t owe him an explanation, not after spending near an hour arguing with his little sister. She narrows her eyes and picks Ellie up. And she’s gone. Turning on her heel and ignoring Joseph calling out to her. Telling her that he’s speaking the truth, that he’s trying to keep her and her daughter safe. 

It’s all bullshit. He’s insane. No different than the cult leaders that came before him. 

As she buckles Ellie in and starts to drive home, she trembles. It breaks her heart when Ellie asks if she’s okay, what’s going on, do they have to move again. It  _ hurts.  _

It’s the Seeds’ fault. 

She’ll kill them if she needs to, that’s what she decides right then. She’ll kill them all if it comes to that, justice be damned. 


	7. Secrets Divulged

“Good morning, Rook.”

He’s so casual it hurts. Sitting on her desk with his hip cocked and leg swinging back and forth rhythmically. Like nothing has changed between them. As if he still thinks they can somehow make whatever they used to have work. 

She ignores him, walks by and rounds her desk, pretending that he’s not taking up a majority of the space. 

He turns his head to look at her. Eyes shining bright when she looks up to stare at him. “I got your letter.”

Again she doesn’t give him anything. She puts her bag down and collapses in her chair. With slow, carefully measured movements, she slides her laptop out and opens it, fully aware that he’s paying attention to her every movement. 

“I also heard about the trouble my brother gave you.” When she doesn’t respond he sighs deeply. He turns his body as much as he can, his knee bumps against her laptop and she suppresses the urge to smack him. “With Ellie…” 

“I know what you’re talking about, John. I fucking remember.”

He hums, tapping her desk with neatly trimmed fingernails. “How is she?”

“She's been having nightmares about whatever the hell your brother’s been saying to her.” 

John winces and ducks his head. His hand comes up to run through his beard. On closer inspection it doesn’t look well kept, not as trimmed down as she’s used to. His hair is longer too, hanging more in his face then she knows he likes it. The idea that he hasn’t been taking care of himself rises to the front of her mind, but it’s hard to keep it there. It’s almost impossible to imagine that he’d be so heartbroken over her 

“I’m sorry, Rook.” 

Rook nods. It’s easy for her to forget how much she should hate him. The pain on his face looks so real that she wants to accept his apology, she wants him to pull her in for a hug and tell her that it’s going to be okay. 

“Is there anything I can do?” 

Rook stares at her screen, contemplates the mountain of work she has to do today—all because of his family—and sighs. “Can we talk about this after I get off?” 

“Yeah.” He perks up at that. A soft smile curling his lips up. “Yeah of course. Can I—“ he gestures behind her, and she knows without him saying what he’s asking for. That’s how friendly they’ve become, they’ve made their own routine. 

“Go for it.” 

He nods and stands, straightening out his vest and tugging his coat closer to his body. She hears their shitty coffee machine rumble to life, and she wants to tell him he doesn’t need to do this. He doesn’t have to grab a cup of coffee just to hang around for a little longer, he can easily drive down to the cafe his family stole from the father, daughter team trying to make something for themselves, and buy something more his style. 

“Rook. Good morning.” 

She looks up from where she hasn’t done a thing on her laptop and finds Nancy in front of her. She’s smiling sweetly, crows feet crinkling at the corners of her eyes. 

Her mere presence makes Rook relax. Nancy is familiar. She’s kind and careful around Rook’s guarded attitude. 

“Oh. Nancy, hey. How’s...work?” Rook winces at her own question, blaming it on John’s sudden appearance that’s left her flustered.

Nancy doesn’t seem to mind, she’s happy to talk to someone for the most part. She’s always been like that, maybe she’s just happy to be alive. 

Not like Rook could say the same thing. 

“It’s great. Always is, Rook. Not too much to deal with today.”

Rook forces a smile and wonders what Whitehorse gave her to do where she isn’t fucking buried like her, Hudson and Pratt are. 

“That’s wonderful.”

Nancy looks as if she’s about to leave, but her face lights up and she hums softly. “Before I forget,” she leans in close to her desk, an easy smile hanging on her face, “someone came in earlier asking for you. Told me to let you know.”

Rook’s brows crinkle as she runs through the list of people, of men, she’s gotten close to. Someone who would go through the trouble of running down to the station looking for her. She draws a blank and laughs nervously.

“Did he give a name?”

“Yeah, yeah of course. I think it was...Steven? Does that ring any bells?” 

Time stops. It ceases to exist. There’s a sharp pain that radiates throughout Rook’s chest. It has her toes curling in her boots and her fingers scratching into her jeans. 

“I—“  _ breathe Rook,  _ “Thank you, Nancy.” Her voice cracks at the end, revealing her panic for a split second. Nancy, for her credit, doesn’t comment on that. She smiles and is gone when Rook blinks. 

She whimpers—she can’t hold it back. Her head bows, chin touching her chest. She can’t—she can’t do this. Not again. It’s been, what? Five times she’s moved now? She can’t go through it, she can’t live like this. The last time they came face to face had been rough. She wasn’t sure he’d let her go next time. 

“Rook?”

_ Leave. _

“Darling? Can you look at me, please?” 

_ Please don’t.  _

“Please, Rook. You’re worrying me.” She feels John touch her shoulder, a light, hesitant thing. 

Rook does look then. She glances up and only then does she realize that she’s crying. Through the tears she sees John’s blurry face, how he cringes at the state she’s in. And she knows how panicked she looks—like a frightened deer. 

“John…” her hands reach out and despite herself she grabs onto the lapels of his coat. She bunches the material, ruins in and immediately smooths it down with a whine. “John, I—“

“Hush.” He pulls her in, wraps his arms around her. Her hands get stuck between them, but she doesn’t mind, it makes it more intimate, their closeness. She buries her face in the crook of his neck and falls to pieces.

“Can we move somewhere private? People are starting to stare.”

Rook laughs, it's a watery sound, she knows John doesn’t care if people are looking at him, he’s come too far in life from what she’s heard to care about that shit. No, he cares about her, about her reputation and the way her coworkers will look at her from now on. 

“Rook?”

“Yeah, c’mere,” she stands, knocking him back carefully until he gives her room. Without thought she makes a grab for his hand. She misses the first time, only getting it when he reaches out as well. She leads him to an empty conference room where she falls against the door. 

“What’s wrong?” He crowds in close. His hands cup her cheeks, thumbs swiping methodically. Gathering tears and stopping them in their tracks 

“Did you hear?”

His brows tilt down, “what Nancy said?”

She nods wordlessly and leans into his touch. 

“Can I tell you something, Rook? A secret that shouldn’t ever escape my family.” 

Her whole body shudders on her next inhale. She brings her hands up to encircle his wrist. She’s scared of what he’s about to say, but she doesn’t want to refuse him. She nods wordlessly. 

“I’m not sure if you’ve heard  _ all  _ the rumors floating around. Or if you know which ones or true, but we—my brothers and sister—have been doing our research.” He takes a step back, fingernails biting into her skin until he lets go. He’s still close, invading her space. 

“We know a lot about Hope’s people. Like, Christ, things we probably shouldn’t. And, please don’t be mad, I know you, Rook. More than what you’ve told me.”

She should be mad. It’s a blatant invasion of privacy. It’s also a confession. She can’t bring herself to get angry though. 

“You don’t have to explain a thing to me, darling. I already know who Steven is. And if I had any idea that he was in Hope...oh darling he’d already be paying the price.” 

“I didn’t want to get you involved,” she explains, like she actually owes him that. 

She sucks in a breath and steps forward. She brings her hand up and tangles it in his hair. She tugs him down and lays a kiss to the corner of his lips. It makes his hands twitch by his side, eager to touch. To tug and pull. 

Rook knows what she’s thinking is stupid, it’ll get her in so much trouble with Whitehorse, to be more involved with the cult than she had been before. But this is her family, her own life, at stake. 

She pulls back and stares into John’s eyes.

It needs to be done. She doesn’t have a choice. 

“Can you do me a favor, John?” 

“Mhm?”

He finally touches her, he grabs her hips and squeezes. Let’s her know that he’s listening. 

“Take Ellie for me, the Rye’s are watching her, I’ll let them know it’s okay to give her to you. I just...I imagine she’ll be safer with you.” She gazes at him over her lashes. Hoping he’ll understand.

“Oh.” He smiles, a tiny laugh escaping. “No one dares to cross me. Whoever stands behind us is safe.” It’s a sales pitch, she recognizes that, but maybe that’s just who John is. “I’ll look after your daughter...and you. If you let me.” 

She considers it—which she  _ shouldn’t _ . It’s bizarre, after everything she’s heard about him, but she does think about it. Weighs it in her head before she tells him otherwise. 

“I’m doing this for me, John. I want to confront him. He can’t—he doesn’t just get to do this! He doesn’t have the right to take my life away from me. From Ellie.”

The grip on her waist increases to a bruising degree. He’s not happy, and rumor has it John can do some vicious things when he’s not happy. She tenses under his gaze, and that’s when he lets go. A huff fanning out across the bridge of her nose. 

“Has he ever hurt you before?”

“No,” she lies, and it’s easy. She’s done this song and dance before. With past neighbors and coworkers who all felt like they knew what she was running from. 

John’s eyes narrow, immediately suspicious. “Okay.” He leans in, and this time it’s him who kisses her. A soft press of lips, the kind of kiss long time lovers would give each other before they head off to work. 

“Stay safe, Rook, please.” 

They leave together, on her insistence, she doesn’t care about the stares she’s getting. That people will be talking tomorrow. Christ, she might not even live to see tomorrow. 

The thought makes her body tremble, has all the color draining from her face. She has to remind herself that she’ll be okay, she’s been alright so far. 

She’s fine. It’s just one conversation. 

*****

It’s been  _ hours. Fucking hours.  _

And she’s still not here. He knows she’ll yell at him later, but he sent his men out to scout for her. To scour the county in their planes and be aware that she may pass one of their roadblocks. 

Most importantly—if she needs help—his men better deliver. 

“John?”

His body deflates slightly, but he’s an expert at putting on a show. He has many masks, he’s long since learned how to present himself to different people. 

Rook’s daughter is no exception. 

“Yes dear?”

“Can we do something? Maybe…” Ellie purses her lips in thought, rocking on her heels, “a walk?” 

No. No, a midday stroll is a terrible idea. But he can’t tell her that. Mostly because he isn’t too sure just how much she knows about what’s going on, it’s not his place to inform her. 

“Perhaps later, when your mother returns.” 

Ellie nods, but John has been around her enough times to see the disappointment in her movements. 

“I have crayons,” He offers weakly. He’s sat in Rook’s tiny living room weeks past, lounging on her couch while Ellie sits by their feet scribbling on some paper. “You’re quite the artist,” he adds with a playful wink.

Thankfully it has the desired effect. She giggles and bounds towards him. “Yes! Yes, c’mon!” 

They stay in his study, on the second floor with just enough windows where he can feel safe. He has his own guards patrolling the area. Nothing but serious faces and death grips on their guns. It puts him more at ease when he can see, even if his view doesn’t go that far. 

He has more at stake here. More than his own life or the state of Eden’s Gate. He has a child with him. God forbid if someone chooses to attack him now. 

Ellie doesn’t ask why he’s pacing, or question what’s taking Rook so long when all he said to her was that she had some errands to run. She’s silent save for her soft humming when he flicks on the radio. 

She makes a sweet picture. The perfect image of what life was like before his brother fucked things up. As much as he loves Joseph, he can’t help the anger that swells in his chest. Without him though, he wouldn’t be clean of the drugs, the sex, the whole dirty business he had been dealing with in Georgia. 

He wouldn’t have met Rook. 

_ “John!” _

Ellie’s while face brightens at the sound of her mom’s voice. Her crayons drop, scattering around and rolling off the table. John’s quicker though, he rushes forward and pulls Ellie back as gently as he can manage with a shot of adrenaline. 

“I’ll bring her up to you,” he explains weakly when she pouts at him. It’s more like a glare though, and John’s dumbfounded that this isn’t Rook’s kid. “Promise,” he adds quickly before darting out the door and clicking it shut behind him. 

Rook’s waiting for him in the kitchen. She’s leaning against the counter with her back to him. She’s staring out the window, fingers nervously rapping on the marble. 

“Rook?”

“Hm?”

He makes his footsteps loud, let’s her know that he’s coming from behind. “Are you okay?” She doesn’t answer right away, her head drops and he’s almost positive she’s trying to hold back a sob.

“You’ve got Ellie?” She asks instead.

“Yes. I did, she’s upstairs. Preoccupied for the moment.”

Rook breathes out a sigh. And when she turns towards him it’s with careful movements. Like the smallest misstep might cause pain. 

When she’s fully facing him, he sees why. 

“Oh, darling.”

She looks like she wants to protest when he reaches forward to touch. His eyes make her stay quiet. There’s an intense ferocity there, a threat. 

“What happened?” 

She’s littered in bruises, and that’s only the skin he can see. Her face and neck, the length of her arms. Littered in marks. He wonders if she’ll let him take a peek under her clothes, if she’ll let him treat her. 

“He’s...I thought I could just talk to him, John. I really did. I don’t know why. Maybe I wanted it to be that simple, I don’t know.” 

If she were any other person, he’d berate her for being so  _ stupid.  _ It’s Rook though, his precious Rook. So he takes her into his arms gently, aware that she must be bruised somewhere beneath her clothes from the way she whimpers. Or she’s just scared. 

“Stay here,” he immediately says, kissing her behind her ear and nuzzling into her purple skin. “You’re not safe back home. If you need some of your things my men will get it for you. But you can’t go back.”

“I know.” 

That’s not the response he had been expecting. He braced himself for some sort of fight back, instead, she just seems tired. Ready for this all to be over 

“You should take a warm bath. Soak, you’re probably achy, huh?” He pulls back to kiss her forehead. “Do you remember where the bathroom is?”

She nods. Hands curling around his vest. 

“Ellie? Where’s she?” 

“My study. Do you…?”

“Yes. I remember.” She gives him one last squeeze before letting go. Eyes shining with unshed tears. “Thank you, John.”

John’s throat is too tight to talk properly, but he smiles the best he can. His hands bunch into fists at his side as he watches her struggle to climb the stairs. He’d go help her, he’d stay to treat her, to deal with the mess that Ellie will become when she sees her mother in such a state. 

But he’s got a couple phone calls to make. 


	8. Bittersweet End

“You’re fucking crazy man. How’re you gonna trust that little bitch without getting my side of the story?” 

“Shut up.” John’s quiet, back turned as he takes in the spread of tools laid out before him on his workbench. “Unless you’re speaking to me about your confession, then I don’t want to hear what you have to say.” 

“Confession? Fuck you. I don’t have anything to confess.”

John sighs and twists his neck. He’s dealt with this before, he’s had harder nuts to crack. 

And this time he has his brothers beside him. 

“Think about that again, Steven.” He turns on his heel with a flourish and takes in the sorry excuse of a man seated before him. “You must have your reasons for following Rook across the country.”

“You mean besides the fact that she took my kid.”

Jacob snorts, crossing his arms over his broad chest. He makes for a scary sight, which helps John’s case as he sees Steven go stiff in his rope binds. 

“He’s lying.” Jacob states, which is easy for them all to tell, but it’s important that Jacob talks. That Steven hears the deep timber of his voice, which is enough to make anyone tremble. 

“Let him work, Jacob.” Joseph’s standing in the shadows, hidden almost fully from view. Once again something they spoke about before this. Another manipulation tactic. 

“Man to man, Steve—can I call you that?” A nod of his head, “wonderful.” John brings up a chair and falls down in it, only inches away from him. “What’s so special about Rook? You could’ve gotten the law involved if you really were worried about your kid...but you didn’t.” 

Steven laughs, it’s a dirty thing, but that whole ‘man to man’ bullshit is exactly what he needed to open up. 

“Well you’ve seen her.”

He raises his eyebrows. “Indeed I have.”

“Cute, isn’t she?” 

John smiles, he’s good at pretending, and now is no exception. Even if it’s as personal as it is. He lets out a slight laugh, dipping his head. “I suppose she is.” He has the added benefit that he truly does mean that. 

“Mhm.” Steven tries to go for casual, to lean himself back the best he can tied up, and really it just pisses John off more. “She’s always been a pretty little thing. Ever since I’ve known her.”

John narrows his eyes, “how long is that?” 

“Soon as I started dating her sister…” he blows out an exasperated breath, thinking, “I think she was 15? 16? I dunno, it was a while ago.”

“But you were with her sister,” John reminds softly, “I mean...you didn’t make any moves on Rook, surely?” 

He looks peeved off that John would even mention such a thing. “I was with her sister—Shauna—but dating her was only a game.” 

“And the end goal was…?”

“Oh c’mon, man. You’re kinda slow, huh?” 

John doesn’t react to the barb. He knows what Steven’s going to say, he wants to hear it though, that’s the point of a confession. 

Steven sighs deeply, “I was waiting for Rook, y’see. She wasn’t exactly legal yet. So I was waiting. It was just a bonus that I got some action on the side.”

“You had a kid.” John says, enunciating the words carefully. He winces as he imagines the adorable little girl that this man doesn’t deserve. The sweet child that stuck to John like glue only because she wanted a father. 

“Didn’t mean to. Life happens. It would’ve been easy to ditch Shauna and the kid, just take Rook…” 

John’s heard enough, he gets up with a snarl and has to stop himself from hurting him. But that'd be hard to explain to Joseph. He’s the kind of evil that can’t be redeemed. He can’t be cleansed through a baptism or shown the light with the bliss. 

There’s only one way he’s getting out of here. 

*****

Rook feels sick. This is what she wanted, wasn’t it? She wanted retribution. She wanted this to end. 

This feels wrong. If she does this she won’t come back from it. She’ll be a different person. The kind of person who has fully submitted to John Seed. 

“She won’t, John. C’mon just fucking finish it.”

She swallows, hands curling into fists at her side. She doesn’t fancy the audience behind her. 

“Can they leave?” 

John sighs and with a wave of his hand his brothers are gone. It takes everything in her to not run out after them, to escape to the surface and just leave, to hop into Joseph’s car and cradle Ellie to her chest and tell her it’s over. That they’ve won. She can’t leave this thread undone though, it’s too dangerous. 

“Darling?” John comes up behind her, touching her lower back and crowding her space. “You don’t have to.” 

“You’ll kill him.” She whispers, as if Steven can’t hear. Which, to be fair, he might not be able to. Jacob beat him bloody—that’s the story John tells—but she’d be surprised if John didn’t get a few hits in. 

“I will. It’s the only way to keep you and Ellie safe.” 

She breathes out a shaky exhale, leaning back into his chest. He hooks his chin on her shoulder, arms winding around her waist. 

“Let me do it then, Rook. You can leave, wait for me at the top.” 

She considers this, and she knows deep within her heart that John means that. He’s not forcing her. But she’ll be trapped with him at the end of the day either way. She can be scared or free, it’s up to her. 

“I want to watch.” 

John doesn’t seem shocked, he just hums softly. Kissing the nape of her neck in a way that makes her shiver.

“So be it.” 

John already is wielding a tire iron in his hand. It’s bloody, rusty, it’s been used on more people than just Steven. It occurs to her not for the first time that she doesn’t want to get on John’s bad side. 

She recoils when John slams down the metal on Steven’s head. He’s still alive, he’s feeling each blow that John delivers. He screams and wails when John hits his temple and his nose, breaking bones, destroying his eyes which are nothing now but dark pools of red. 

Nausea wells up inside her stomach. She swallows down her sick, but she does step back. Leaning heavily against the metal wall, watching through lidded eyes. She winces each time metal makes contact with bone. 

Then it’s over as quickly as it began. Steven is just a silent mass on the floor. John is quiet besides his heavy breathing. His hair is hanging in front of his face and he swipes it back with a hand that he flexes. As if he’s in pain. 

“John?”

“Yes, my dear?” He’s not looking at her, still gazing down at the mess he’s made. 

“Can we go home now?” 

He finally comes back to himself, turning around and tossing the iron to the other side of the room with a loud clang that makes her flinch. He smooths down his vest with a sigh and smiles. It’s bright, vibrant. “Home...yes, yes of course we can.” 

He takes his hand in hers and all but drags her out of that room. Past his brothers who hardly react to the flecks of blood dotting John’s cheeks. It’s odd, but she supposes it’s her life now. Her daughters too. 

He must sense her unease—he’s good at that—because he squeezes her hand and pulls her in. 

“You’re safe now, you can relax.”

She narrows her eyes at him, that same nausea creeping up on her. “What am I supposed to do now? I spent years running from him, I gave up everything...and now it’s over. It feels so anticlimactic. So surreal.” 

He pauses in the hallway, and it’s then that she notices Jacob’s not with them. That there’s a good chance he’s back cleaning up what John’s done. Hiding a murder. 

“It’s okay, Rook,” he reaches up and cups her cheek, swiping his thumb back and forth. “We can be a family.  _ You _ can have a real family for once. You can have brothers and a sister, a husband maybe.” He tips his head at Rook, a not so subtle way of proclaiming what she already knew to be true. 

He wants her. Even the broken parts of her past. She closes her eyes, just to breathe for a moment, and when she opens them again he’s staring at her expectantly. She’s never been one to deny him before…

“Yes. Please, John, take us home.”


End file.
